Electronic location identification and tracking system with beacon clustering

ABSTRACT

A system and method for determining the presence of an individual at a particular spot within a location preferably based on the strength of signals received from beacons assigned to the particular spot by a software application (“App”) running on an electronic device of the individual. In one embodiment, certain presence calculations are performed by the App. In another embodiment, the App forwards information regarding the received beacon signals to an electronic identification and location tracking system and the presence calculations are performed by the system.

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16,655,785, filed Oct. 17, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/996,604, filed Jun. 4, 2018, which is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/698,484, filed Sep. 7,2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,998,857, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/238,036, filed Aug. 16, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No.9,774,991, which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisionalpatent Application Ser. No. 62/205,833, filed Aug. 17, 2015. Allapplications are incorporated by reference in their entireties for allpurposes.

BACKGROUND

Determining accurate indoor locations for people and objects has beenthe goal of numerous government, academia and corporate institutions forwell over a decade. GPS, while excellent for outdoors location, isn'twell suited for indoor location due to signal attenuation caused by thebuilding materials causing significant power loss for the signals.Numerous technical approaches to accomplishing the goal of accurateindoor location have been researched, developed and tested though theeffectiveness and accuracy of each of these methods can vastly differ.

The industry classifies indoor location technologies intoinfrastructure-based and infrastructure-free technologies.Infrastructure-based technologies require the installation andconfiguration of physical beacons, typically based on a radio-frequencytechnology such as IR, WiFi, RFID and Bluetooth but can also includebeacons based on sound, magnetic signals or light. Infrastructure-freetechnologies, typically utilize the existing infrastructure available ina location such as WiFi access points, cellular/GSM signals,geo-magnetic and sound sources though they usually involve quite a bitof configuration in the form of fingerprinting, or the analysis of thespecific properties of WiFi, Magnetic, Sound and other signals atvarious points within the room.

Once the initial infrastructure, fingerprinting, analysis and otherimplementation steps are done, the various systems currently inexistence rely on various forms of signal triangulation, signalmeasurement, signal disturbance, movement detection, barometric pressuredetection, or other forms to detect the location of a person in anindoor space. The technical names for these existing technologies ormethods include, but are not limited to, 2.4 Ghz Phase Offset, 2.4 GhzTime-of-Flight, Ultrasonic Time-of-Flight, IR/Radio Time-of-flight,Modulated Magnetic signals, WiFi+Bluetooth+IMU, WiFi Fingerprinting withBayesian Filter, WiFi Fingerprinting with Neural Network, WiFiTime-of-Flight with Adaptive filter, WiFi+IMU Fingerprinting andSteerable Antenna Time-of-Flight.

The existing indoor location technologies have performance and accuracyissues related to a variety of factors including but not limited torequiring a line of sight between a persons' device and thebeacons/sensors, signal bleed complications, interference from othersources, objects and construction materials, and even the human bodyacting as a barrier to a signal. Additionally, the overhead in terms ofdeployment of custom infrastructure, space evaluation, fingerprintanalysis, system configuration, equipment costs and other systemimplementation related issues is relatively high for existingmethodologies. The current disclosure is directed at addressing orreducing these issues with indoor location accuracy, performance andoverhead with the additional benefit of user identification and trackingthroughout a venue.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

A method and system are described that allows for the electronicdetermination of a person's location in an environment where existingtechnologies such as GPS are often unable to provide accurate locationinformation. Additionally, the method and system allow for navigationalservices to be provided to persons, and real-time location determinationand location tracking. The disclosed method preferably can work througha system of wireless radio, sound and/or light-based beaconscommunicating with the customer's smartphone, computer system, oranother electronic device of the customer. Wireless radio, sound and/orlight-based beacons provide a system with real-time data about theuser's whereabouts, allowing for the confirmation and tracking describedabove and below. Depending on the type of location using the system, incertain circumstances one or more functions of the system may not beneeded or available to users and companies alike. As a non-limitingexample, where the system is used by a company that provides food andbeverage service, a user can place an order for food/beverages and theorder delivered to the person at their current location as determined bythe system whereas when the system is used by a company which retailsconsumer products the company may not implement or need this specificfeature of the system.

The following non-limiting definitions are provided as an aid inunderstanding at least a preferred embodiment for the disclosed novelmethod and system:

Electronic Location An electronic database where locations,Identification & permissions and user profiles Tracking System aremanaged and stored. Database (database) Electronic Location A speciallyprogrammed electronic Identification & or computer system which TrackingSystem electronically determines users’ (system) locations, presence atlocations and departure from locations based on information receivedfrom and being in communication with wireless radio, sound and/orlight-based beacons. Electronic Location A specially designed softwareapplication Identification & “App” that is installed on Tracking Systemthe user’s electronic system or device Application (App) and whichallows and directs the user’s electronic system or device to communicatewith wireless radio, sound and/or light-based beacons in order toidentify the user’s current location. User One or more persons who haveentered the physical location of an organization who wishes to utilizethe location identification and tracking system on their device. SystemAdministrator One or more persons responsible for entering andmaintaining information about each user in the system and database aswell as configuring locations and performing beacon management. User’sElectronic A computer system or electronic device, System or Devicepreferably portable or mobile, including, but not limited to, cellphone, smartphone, key card, tablet, laptop or other computer systembelonging to and/or carried/possessed by a user that is speciallyprogrammed with the Electronic Location Identification & Tracking SystemApp to permit communication with one or more wireless radio, soundand/or light-based beacons. Wireless Radio, A small receiver/transmittercapable Sound and/or of operating on short and/or long Light-based rangewireless communication between Beacon electronic devices. Capabilitiesinclude, but are not limited to, pinpointing its own location, beingprogrammed or designed to utilize the software in a smart phone,cellular phone or other electronic device to determine that device’slocation and bi-directional data transmission. Wireless radio, soundand/or light-based beacons can utilize technologies including, but notlimited to, Near Field Communication (NFC), Bluetooth, WiFi,Light-Fidelity (LiFi), Magnetic, Ultrasound, InfraRed (IR), and RadioFrequency (RF). All of these technologies and similar current or similarlater developed communication technologies are included in the term“wireless radio” wherever that term appears in this disclosure. Device Asmartphone, cellular phone, computer, tablet, laptop or any electronicdevice with wireless radio, sound and/or light-based beaconcommunication capability and specifically programmed with the App.Location Cluster A group of Wireless Radio, Sound and/or Light-basedBeacons which as a group are utilized in connection with all members ofthe group in the determination of a customer’s location. The locationcluster can consist of one or more beacons, clustered together utilizingthe same or different beacon technologies such as NFC, Bluetooth, WiFi,IR, etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a process flow and block diagram illustrating the registrationof a customer/user's device in accordance with one embodiment for thedisclosed system and method;

FIG. 2 is a process flow and block diagram illustrating the registrationof a beacon or cluster of beacons location in accordance with oneembodiment for the disclosed system and method;

FIG. 3 is a process flow and block diagram illustrating a firstembodiment for determining a customer's presence at location by thedisclosed system and method;

FIG. 4 is a process flow and block diagram illustrating a secondembodiment for determining a customer's presence at location by thedisclosed system and method;

FIG. 5 is a process flow and block diagram of a location rules engine inaccordance with one embodiment for the disclosed system and method;

FIG. 6 is a process flow and block diagram illustrating a user/customeropt-out of tracking/monitoring by a company/facility in accordance withone embodiment for the disclosed system and method; and

FIG. 7 illustrates a non-limiting sample of a customer presencedetermination using beacon clustering at a location in accordance withone embodiment for the disclosed system and method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows one method for allowing a user to register their computersystem or device with the electronic location identification andtracking system of or associated with a particular location, company orbusiness. This initial process allows a user to be electronically andautomatically tracked within the location, utilize navigation services,order services delivered to their location and receive advertising andother location pertinent and/or aware messaging among other possibleuses.

At F1 a, a customer downloads and installs the Electronic LocationIdentification Tracking System Application “App” from their computer orany app store or marketplace including, but not limited to, the AppleApp Store, Windows Store and Google Play marketplace. The App isdownloaded to the customer's electronic system or device. Alternatively,the customer's electronic device can be purchased or otherwise obtainedby the customer with the App already installed/loaded. The App can be asingle App per location/company or an App that can work across multiplecompanies/locations. As a non-limiting example, a hotel chain can have asingle app for its customers to use at all of its different locationswhile a small retail store may choose to have an app for just its singlelocation. Partnerships for multiple companies can also be implemented,where a single App can work seamlessly for all of theirstores/establishments.

At F1 b, when the App is first opened, it can prompt the user toregister their electronic computer system or device with the electroniclocation identification and tracking system/database. This enables thecustomer to use their computer system or device to be automaticallytracked within the customer's facility, communicate with the company,and order food, beverage or other products/services. Where the customeris interested in ordering food, beverage and/or other products orservices, a menu or listing of the food, beverage and otherproducts/services offered at the location can be displayed on thecustomer's electronic system or device to inform the customer of what isavailable at the location. If the user opens the App and does not wishto register the device, then the App will operate in a non-registeredmode that can also limit the services available on the device.

At F1 c, if the customer would like to register the device with theelectronic location identification and tracking system, a form willappear on the screen prompting the customer for information, which caninclude, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: theirname, birthday, mailing address, email address, phone number andpicture. The system and software can also be designed such that multipleelectronic systems and devices are associated with one account so thatthe rewards given to each electronic system or device are accumulatedwithin one account (i.e. multiple devices belong to a single user canall be used to identify and track that user such as smartphones, smartwatches, fitness bands, RFID badges, wearable beacons, wristbands,etc.). The required fields can be selected by the company and can dependon the specific company and needs of that company. The userelectronically submits the form when completed.

At F1 d, if during submission by the user, the App determines that notall required fields are filled out, it can prompt the customer for themissing information. The user can resubmit the form with the missinginformation provided.

At F1 e, once all required fields are provided and the form iselectronically submitted by the user, the data is electronically sent toand received by the electronic location identification and trackingsystem.

At F1 f, the electronic location identification and tracking systemstores the user's form submissions along with some identifyinginformation for the user's device such as, but not limited to, one ormore of the following: the device's name and/or device's owner's name, auniversally unique identifier or UUID (an identifier standard used insoftware construction and is a 128-bit value), media access controladdress or MAC address (unique identifier assigned to network interfacesfor communications on the physical network segment), IP Address, orother unique identifiers.

At F1 g, an electronic notification can be sent to the systemadministrator(s) via email, sms, mms, voice, fax or other electronicmethod of the new user registration.

At F1 h, the system administrator can access the electronic locationidentification and tracking system to view and edit the new customer'sprofile. The system administrator can assign the user to any group orlist available, or add information about the user in its profile.

At F1 i, any edits or additions to the user's profile made by the systemadministrator can be stored in the electronic location identificationand tracking system database.

FIG. 2 illustrates how a location is registered with the electroniclocation identification and tracking system.

At F2 a, a system administrator configures either a single or cluster ofwireless radio, sound and/or light-based beacon(s) with informationincluding, but not limited to, one more of the following: its name,unique identifier (MAC Address, UUID or similar), group/organization,unique number within an organization, location, wireless networks, etc.A cluster of beacons is created when two or more beacons are groupedtogether to define a single location and can include different types andtechnologies of beacons. As non-limiting examples, a beacon cluster mayconsist of 3 bluetooth beacons and a LiFi beacon in one location butconsist of 2 bluetooth beacons and an Ultrasonic beacon in anotherlocation. The system administrator can select various options withregards to what the system should do when it does not receive a signalfrom a beacon assigned to a given location cluster. Options include butare not limited to discarding this location from presence determinationif a signal from all beacons configured for the cluster is not received,assigning a default or static value for the beacon signal strength forany beacon that is assigned to this cluster but the system didn'treceive a signal from, or ignoring the beacon from consideration inpresence determination. Location determination for a cluster of beaconscan be preferably based on an average of the signal strength received bya device from all of the beacons assigned to a given cluster of alocation and subject to the options specified above for any missingsignals. Preferably, the clustering method can be designed to enablemicro-location services (i.e. be able to provide accurate location at asub-room level). In one non-limiting example, the distances of theclusters can range from about a few feet radius to about a 15 feetradius. The beacons can be placed anywhere from right next to oradjacent to each other up to a few feet apart, depending on the level ofaccuracy needed for the given use. Clusters can be defined from alogical perspective as a specific location. From a technicalperspective, the beacon clusters can, as a non limiting example, bedefined by using their UUID, Major and Minor values (identifiers). Allbeacons in a cluster preferably having the same UUID and Major value,with each beacon in the cluster having a unique minor value, though thisis not considered limiting and other value configurations can be used.

At F2 b, the configured wireless radio, sound and/or light-basedbeacon(s) are physically installed at the configured location and can betested to ensure its operability.

At F2 c, a system administrator then electronically accesses theelectronic location identification and tracking system to enter in theinstalled wireless radio, sound and/or light-based beacon(s)′configuration and location information. Beacon clusters can be definedat this point as well. When a location is created, the user inputs thenumber of beacons used to define that specific location. When a clusterof beacons is configured for a location, the system will use the averageof the received signal strengths for all beacons in a cluster indetermining location or presence at a location. As a non-limitingexample, if a location is configured for a cluster of 3 beacons, thesignal strength received from each of the beacons is averaged to createa single location signal strength value. Optionally, should a beaconsignal not be received for any given beacon assigned to a locationcluster, the system can either assign a dummy value to this beaconsignal or choose to ignore all beacons for this location. Additionalconfiguration of the beacon(s) can also be performed at this step, whichcan include, but is not limited to, configuring notification settings,signal types, signal strengths, transmission power and device presencedurations.

At F2 d, the wireless radio, sound and/or light-based beacon'sconfiguration and location information is stored in the electroniclocation identification and tracking system database.

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of how the system determines thelocation of a user and their presence at any given location based ontheir registered device.

At F3 a, the wireless radio, sound and/or light-based beacons installedat various locations are preferably constantly and automaticallybroadcasting their information including, but not limited to, one ormore of the following: its name, unique identifier (MAC Address, UUID orsimilar), group/organization, unique number within an organization,location, wireless networks, etc.

At F3 b, the user's electronic system or device with the electronicidentification and location tracking system application “App” downloadedand running (either in the foreground or as a background service)receives the broadcasted information from the wireless radio, soundand/or light-based beacons including, but not limited to, one or more ofthe following: its name, unique identifier (MAC Address, UUID orsimilar), group/organization, signal type and strength. If the beaconcontains a recognized identifier as programmed into the App, it proceedsto step F3 c. Otherwise, the App will continue to monitor for knownbeacon signals and ignore any other beacons present that are notregistered or designed to be used with the system. This process repeatsat configurable intervals so that the App can be frequently receivingbeacon information.

At F3 c, when a known beacon signal is received by the App, its databaseis queried to determine the location properties of the known beaconwhose signal was received. This will include but is not limited to thetype and number of beacons associated with the location assigned to theparticular beacon.

At F3 d, the User/Customer's system/App (“system/App”) makes adetermination based on the information returned in F3 c if a signal wasreceived from all beacons assigned to a location or locations, ifmultiple beacons are discovered. If signals from all beacons assigned toa location are received, the system proceeds to step F3 e. If a signalwas not received from all beacons in a location cluster, the system/Appapplies the programmed and configured logic for handling the missingbeacons. This may include, but is not limited to, ignoring the locationin its entirety if all beacons are not found, using a static value forthe missing beacons or simply ignoring the missing beacons and calculatethe average using just the beacons whose signals were received.

At F3 e, if the analysis performed in F3 d indicates that the user'sdevice is near a given location, the system/App determines whether thedevice is in close enough proximity to the beacons to be consideredpresent at that specific area of a location. It does this by comparingthe average signal strength received for the beacons at the location tothe configured minimum. If the average signal strength is below theconfigured value, the system will continue to perform the average signalstrength calculations in F3 d. If the average signal strength is abovethe configured minimum value, the system proceeds to step F3 f. Thisstep can be optional and the system can be configured to simplydetermine a user's location based on the highest average signal strengthvalue from the beacon clusters.

At F3 f, the system/App begins counting to see if the user's device withthe app running is maintaining its average signal strength for longerthen a configured duration for that location. If the average signalstrength for the location cluster fails to remain above the configuredminimum threshold for greater then a configured period of time, thesystem will continue to perform the average signal strength calculationsin F3 d. If the system/App determines that the average signal strengthfor a location cluster is maintained above a configured threshold forlonger then a configured period of time, then it will notify theElectronic Identification & Location Tracking system of the user'sconfirmed presence at the given location.

At F3 g, the electronic identification & location tracking system storesthe user's location and other information in its database.

FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of how the system determines thelocation of a user and their presence at any given location based ontheir registered device.

At F4 a, the wireless radio, sound and/or light-based beacons installedat various locations are constantly and automatically broadcasting theirinformation including, but not limited to, one or more of the following:its name, unique identifier (MAC Address, UUID or similar),group/organization, unique number within an organization, location,wireless networks, etc.

At F4 b, the user's electronic system or device with the electronicidentification and location tracking system application “App” downloadedand running (either in the foreground or as a background service)receives the broadcasted information from the wireless radio, soundand/or light-based beacons including, but not limited to one or more ofthe following: its name, unique identifier (MAC Address, UUID orsimilar), group/organization, signal type and strength. If the beaconcontains a recognized identifier as programmed into the App, it proceedsto step F4 c. Otherwise, the App will continue to monitor for knownbeacon signals. This process repeats at configurable intervals so thatthe App can be frequently receiving beacon information.

At F4 c, when a known beacon signal is received by the system/App, itsends the information received from the beacon including but not limitedto, one or more of the following: its name, unique identifier (MACAddress, UUID or similar), group/organization, signal type and strengthto the electronic identification and location tracking system. Theelectronic identification and location tracking system queries itsdatabase to determine the location properties of the known beacon whosesignal was received. This can include, but is not limited to, the typeand number of beacons associated with the location assigned to theparticular beacon and the configured logic for what to do when thesystem doesn't receive a signal from one or more beacons (or type ofbeacons) in a location cluster.

At F4 d, the electronic identification and location tracking systemmakes a determination based on the information returned in F4 c if asignal was received from all beacons assigned to a location orlocations, if multiple beacons are discovered. If signals from allbeacons assigned to a location are received, the system proceeds to stepF4 e. If a signal was not received from all beacons in a locationcluster, the system applies the programmed and configured logic forhandling the missing beacons. This may include, but is not limited to,ignoring the location in its entirety if all beacons are not found,using a static value for the missing beacons or simply ignoring themissing beacons and calculate the average using just the beacons whosesignals were received.

At F4 e, if the analysis performed in F4 d indicates that the user'sdevice is near a given location, the system/App determines whether thedevice is in close enough proximity to the beacons to be consideredpresent at that specific area of a location. It does this by comparingthe average signal strength received for the beacons at the location tothe configured minimum. If the average signal strength is below theconfigured value, the system will continue to perform the average signalstrength calculations in F4 d. If the average signal strength is abovethe configured minimum value, the system proceeds to step F4 f. Thisstep can be optional and the system can be configured to simplydetermine a user's location based on the highest average signal strengthvalue from the beacon clusters.

At F4 f, the system/App begins counting to see if the user's device withthe app running is maintaining its average signal strength for longerthen a configured duration for that location. If the average signalstrength for the location cluster fails to remain above the configuredminimum threshold for greater then a configured period of time, thesystem will continue to perform the average signal strength calculationsin F4 d. If the system determines that the average signal strength for alocation cluster is maintained above a configured threshold for longerthen a configured period of time, then it will notify the ElectronicIdentification & Location Tracking system of the user's confirmedpresence at the given location.

At F4 g, the electronic identification & location tracking system storedthe user's location and other information its database.

FIG. 5 demonstrates how a user's presence at a location is determinedand configured within the electronic identification & location trackingsystem. This process can also be utilized to edit presence determinationconfigurations already stored in the database.

At F5 a, the electronic identification & location tracking systemqueries the electronic identification & location tracking systemdatabase for a list of available locations. Available locations can beones that are entered into the system database as described above.Configuring refers to setting parameters for a location to assign abeacon or beacon cluster to a particular location as well as to aid inthe determination of a customer/user's presence at that location basedon signal strength and duration. This function can be typically reservedfor a system administrator.

At F5 b, the electronic identification & location tracking systemdisplays a listing of available locations to configure. The systemadministrator can then select the location to configure or edit theconfiguration of. Reconfiguring the location can be for a variety ofreasons, such as, but not limited to, adding additional beacons to alocation cluster for better accuracy, replace a beacon that is faulty,or changing the presence determination criteria to make the system moreor less sensitive/accurate. The system administrator may also elect toconfigure a new location in the manner.

At F5 c, once the location is selected, the system administrator may nowspecify the number and type of beacons assigned to this particularlocation. A location can consist of one or more beacons, clusteredtogether (i.e. where more than one beacon designated for the location)utilizing the same or different technologies. As a non-limiting example,a beacon cluster can consist of three beacons made up of IR, Bluetoothand Ultrasonic beacons that work in conjunction.

At F5 d, next, the system administrator may now specify the UniqueIdentifiers for the beacons to be identified with this location. As anon-limiting example, if three beacons are configured for this locationcluster, then 3 beacon identifiers should be selected to belong to thislocation cluster. If only a single beacon is selected then a singleunique identifier is assigned to this location. Locations can beidentified by using matching identifiers on the beacons with only asingle differentiator. In one non-limiting embodiment, 3 identifyingfields can be used for each beacon, UUID, Major Value and Minor Value.Each beacon can have values assigned to each of those 3 fields. As anon-limiting example, a 3 beacon cluster could have each beacon with aUUID of 121324-34235-342345-34423 and a major id value of 12345. Thenbeacon 1 in the cluster could have a minor value of 1, beacon 2 couldhave a minor value of 2 and beacon 3 could have a minor value of 3. Thenext cluster could have 3 beacons with the same UUID as above but with adifferent major value and a similar minor value structure as theprevious location.

At F5 e, next, the system administrator may now select what the systemshould do when it does not receive a signal from a beacon assigned to agiven location cluster. Options can include, but are not limited to,discarding this location from presence determination if a signal fromall beacons configured for the cluster is not received, assigning adefault or static value for the beacon signal strength for any beaconthat is assigned to this cluster but didn't receive a signal, orignoring the beacon from consideration in presence determination.

At F5 f, next, the system administrator may now specify the minimumsignal strength threshold for a user to be considered present at thisparticular location. This signal strength is the measure of the strengthof a known wireless radio, sound and/or light-based beacons transmittedsignal strength as received by the customer's electronic system ordevice. As a non-limiting example, the signal strength can be measuredand calculated on a scale of 0 to 100% where the minimum signal strengththreshold is set to 80%. This means that unless the customer's devicereceives a signal from the wireless radio, sound and/or light-basedbeacons greater then the 80% strength threshold, they will not beconsidered present at a location. Though it is preferred that thebeacons are of the same type for a particular cluster, it is within thescope of the disclosure to have a location cluster made up beacons ofdiffering types (i.e. Bluetooth beacon, a light-based beacon and a soundbased beacon). The signal strength measurement is intended toapproximate the distance between the user's electronic system or deviceand the wireless radio, sound and/or light-based beacons and can alsoinclude strength indicators including but not limited to RSSI (relativesignal strength indicator) values. This setting can be optional.

At F5 g, once the minimum presence signal strength threshold has beenentered, the system administrator has the option of specifying theminimum presence duration for that location. The minimum presenceduration can be a time value and can be expressed in any known andacceptable time format including but not limited to milliseconds,seconds, minutes and hours. As a non-limiting example, the systemadministrator can configure the value to 20 seconds. In this instancethe user's electronic system or device must report to the electronicidentification & location tracking system a signal strength above theminimum threshold specified in F5 f for a period of at least 20consecutive seconds in order to consider the user's electronic system ordevice present at that location. This setting can be optional.

At F5 h next, the system administrator may now specify the signalstrength threshold for a user to be considered to have departed fromthis particular location. This signal strength is the measure of thestrength of a known wireless radio, sound and/or light-based beaconstransmitted signal strength as received by the customer's electronicsystem or device. As a non-limiting example, the signal strength can bemeasured and calculated on a scale of 0 to 100% where the maximum signalstrength threshold is set to 40%. This means that once the customer'sdevice receives a signal from the wireless radio, sound and/orlight-based beacons lower then the 40% strength threshold, they will notbe considered present at a location. The signal strength measurement isintended to approximate the distance between the users electronic systemor device and the wireless radio, sound and/or light-based beacons andcan also include strength indicators including but not limited to RSSI(relative signal strength indicator) values. This setting can beoptional. As a non-limiting example, signal strength can be measured interms of decibels or RSSI. For decibels, the receiving device (phone,tablet, etc) can simply measure the signal strength in db. Also, a fixedvalue can be configured for the transmit power strength of the beaconsand that power level (in db) can be used in the calculation of the RSSIwhich is an industry standard measurement algorithm that factors in thereceived signal strength in db and compares it against the knowntransmit power. Other potential forms of signal strength measurementthat can be used include, but are not limited to Lux (light levels forlight-based beacons), decibels in terms of volume (sound based-beacons)and magnetic fields strength.

At F5 i, once the departure signal strength threshold has been crossed,the system administrator has the option of specifying the minimumdeparture duration for that location. The minimum departure duration isa time value and can be expressed in any known and acceptable timeformat including, but not limited to, milliseconds, seconds, minutes andhours. As a non-limiting example, the system administrator can configurethe value to 20 seconds. In this instance the user's electronic systemor device reports to the electronic identification & location trackingsystem a signal strength below the threshold specified in F5 h for aperiod of at least 20 consecutive seconds in order to consider theuser's electronic system or device to have departed that location. Thissetting can be optional.

At F5 j, the locations presence determination configuration profile canbe updated in the electronic identification & location tracking systemdatabase.

FIG. 6 demonstrates how a customer is able to opt-out of beingtracked/monitored from within the electronic identification & locationtracking system application on the user's electronic system or device.

At F6 a, when the electronic identification & location tracking systemmakes a determination that a user's electronic system or device ispresent at a given location as described in FIGS. 3 and/or 4 , anotification can be sent to the user's electronic system or device viathe electronic identification & location tracking system application“App” indicating that their presence has been detected at a givenlocation by the electronic identification & location tracking system.The notification can be made through a variety of methods including butnot limited to Email, SMS, MIMS, On Screen and Voice.

At F6 b, the customer through the App running on their electronic systemor device is presented with or can select a menu item to opt-out ofbeing tracked/monitored by the facility. If the customer does not makean affirmative selection to opt-out of being tracked/monitored or makesan affirmative selection to allow tracking/monitoring, then theelectronic identification & location tracking system is electronicallynotified so that user tracking/monitoring can continue.

At F6 c, if the user makes an affirmative selection to Opt-Out of beingtracked/monitored, then the electronic identification & locationtracking system is electronically notified of such selection.

At F6 d, the electronic identification & location tracking systemupdates the electronic identification & location tracking systemdatabase of the users' selection in F6 b or F6 c.

FIG. 7 demonstrates one non-limiting embodiment/example of how a clusterof beacons can be assigned to a location and used for locationdetermination within the electronic identification & location trackingsystem.

At F7 a, beacons are installed and configured for six locations, Bedroom1 (‘A’ Beacons), Bedroom 2 (‘B’ Beacons), Hall (‘C’ Beacons), Kitchen(‘D’ Beacons), Dining Room (‘E’ Beacons) and Living Room (‘F’ Beacons).Though not limiting, each location has 3 beacons configured in thecluster.

At F7 b, a user with the electronic identification & location trackingsystem application “App” on the users' electronic system or deviceenters Bedroom 2 (‘B’ Beacons) as illustrated.

At F7 c, the electronic identification & location tracking systemapplication “App” on the user's electronic system or device receivesbeacon signals from all nearby beacons and sends them to the electronicidentification & location tracking system. As a non-limiting example,the signal strength measurements for each beacon are displayed in thechart on the figure. Also seen in the chart for F7 c is the signalaverage for each location/beacon cluster calculated by the electronicidentification & location tracking system, which can be all of thebeacon signal strengths received for each location.

At F7 d, the electronic identification & location tracking system makesa determination the user's location of Bedroom 2 (‘B’ Beacons) based ona higher average signal strength received from the beacons in theBedroom 2 location cluster then the average signal strength receivedfrom the beacons in the other location clusters.

The system that performs the above described functions and steps caninclude several components including, but not necessarily limited to,the following:

-   -   1. One or more Wireless Radio, Sound and/or Light-based        Beacon(s)    -   2. One or more user/customer electronic computer system or        device(s)    -   3. Electronic Identification & Location Tracking System    -   4. Electronic Identification & Location Tracking System        Application “App”    -   5. Electronic Identification & Location Tracking System Database    -   6. Electronic Identification & Location Tracking System        Application “App” Database    -   7. A public or private computer network to connect or        communicate the user's device, beacons and Electronic        Identification & Location Tracking System and database with each        other.

The various components can be in electrical and wireless communicationwith each other.

The ability to electronically identify users, track user movements andidentify presence at a location can provide significant administrativeand financial benefits incident to operators of venues where traditionalGPS location services are not available. Without limitation, theseinclude the following benefits:

1. Provide venue operators the ability to identify a user and the user'sprecise location within their facility.

2. Provide venue operators the ability to determine a user's presence ata location through configurable parameters.

3. Provide venue operators with product and/or service deliverycapabilities to a user's real-time location.

4. Provide users with real-time mapping and navigation in buildings andother venues.

It should be understood that the exemplary embodiments described hereinshould be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes oflimitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each embodimentshould typically be considered as available for other similar featuresor aspects in other embodiments. While one or more embodiments have beendescribed with reference to the figures, it will be understood by thoseof ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and detailsmay be made therein without departing from their spirit and scope.

All components of the described system and their locations, electroniccommunication methods between the system components, electronic storagemechanisms, etc. discussed above or shown in the drawings, if any, aremerely by way of example and are not considered limiting and othercomponent(s) and their locations, electronic communication methods,electronic storage mechanisms, etc. can be chosen and used and all areconsidered within the scope of the disclosure.

Unless feature(s), part(s), component(s), characteristic(s) orfunction(s) described in the specification or shown in the drawings fora claim element, claim step or claim term specifically appear in theclaim with the claim element, claim step or claim term, then theinventor does not consider such feature(s), part(s), component(s),characteristic(s) or function(s) to be included for the claim element,claim step or claim term in the claim when and if the claim element,claim step or claim term is interpreted or construed. Similarly, withrespect to any “means for” elements in the claims, the inventorconsiders such language to require only the minimal amount of features,components, steps, or parts from the specification to achieve thefunction of the “means for” language and not all of the features,components, steps or parts describe in the specification that arerelated to the function of the “means for” language.

The benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) thatmay cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become morepronounced are not to be construed or considered as a critical,required, or essential features or elements of any or all the claims.

While the disclosure has been described and disclosed in certain termsand has disclosed certain embodiments or modifications, persons skilledin the art who have acquainted themselves with the disclosure, willappreciate that it is not necessarily limited by such terms, nor to thespecific embodiments and modification disclosed herein. Thus, a widevariety of alternatives, suggested by the teachings herein, can bepracticed without departing from the spirit of the disclosure, andrights to such alternatives are particularly reserved and consideredwithin the scope of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic system for determining a presenceof a person at a particular area within a geographical location,comprising: a location identification and tracking computer systemapplication (“App”) running on a portable electronic device on theperson of an individual located within the location; and a plurality ofwireless beacons disposed at different areas within a geographicallocation, each of the plurality of wireless beacons transmitting awireless signal for receipt by the App when the portable electronicdevice is within range of the wireless signal, wherein each signaltransmitted by each wireless beacon contains a unique identifieridentifying the wireless beacon who transmitted the signal, wherein theApp includes instructions to allow the App to electronically determinewhether each beacon signal received is from a beacon whose uniqueidentifier is previously programmed into the App; wherein the Appincludes instructions so that for each known beacon signal received bythe App, the App electronically queries a database to electronicallyreceive location properties for each known beacon, wherein the locationproperties include information on the identity of beacons grouped as aparticular cluster of beacons for a particular area within the location;and wherein the App includes instructions to allow the App toelectronically determining a current area of presence for the individualat the location based on determining which cluster of beacons out of aplurality of cluster of beacons for the location has a highest averagesignal strength.
 2. The electronic system for determining a presence ofa person of claim 1 wherein the unique identifier for each beacon in aparticular beacon cluster includes a universally unique identifier(“UUID”), a major value identifier and a minor value identifier, whereinthe unique identifier for each beacon is stored in the database.
 3. Theelectronic system for determining a presence of a person of claim 2wherein the unique minor value identifier distinguishes one beacon inthe particular beacon cluster from the remaining beacons in theparticular beacon cluster.
 4. The electronic system for determining apresence of a person of claim 1 wherein the App includes instructionssuch that when a signal is received from each beacon associated with aparticular cluster of beacons the App (a) determines or obtains a signalstrength for each beacon signal received, (b) electronically determinesan average signal strength from all of the signal strengths received,and (c) electronically compares the average signal strength to apreconfigured minimum signal strength value for the particular area orparticular cluster of beacons.
 5. The electronic system for determininga presence of a person of claim 4 wherein the App includes instructionssuch that if the determined average signal strength is above thepreconfigured minimum signal strength value the App considers theindividual present at the particular area within the location associatedwith the particular cluster of beacons.
 6. The electronic system fordetermining a presence of a person of claim 5 wherein the App includesinstructions to require the average signal strength to be above thepreconfigured minimum signal strength value for a preconfigured periodof time before considering the individual present at the particular areawithin the location associated with the particular cluster of beacons.7. The electronic system for determining a presence of a person of claim1 wherein the App includes instructions to allow the App toelectronically determine if a signal was received from each beaconassociated with the particular cluster of beacons.
 8. The electronicsystem for determining a presence of a person of claim 7 wherein if asignal was not received from each beacon associated with the particularcluster of beacons the App includes instructions to either (i) use astatic value for the missing beacon(s) when calculating an averagesignal strength for the beacon signals of the beacons associated withthe particular cluster of beacons, or (ii) calculate the average signalstrength from the beacon signals received from the beacons associatedwith the particular cluster of beacons.
 9. The electronic system fordetermining a presence of a person of claim 1 further comprising thestep of storing a determined location for the user in the database. 10.An electronic system for determining a presence of a person at aparticular area within a geographical location, comprising: a locationidentification and tracking computer system application (“App”) runningon a portable electronic device on the person of an individual locatedwithin the location a plurality of wireless beacons disposed atdifferent areas within a geographical location, each of the plurality ofwireless beacons transmitting a wireless signal for receipt by the Appwhen the portable electronic device is within range of the wirelesssignal, wherein each signal transmitted by each wireless beacon containsa unique identifier identifying the wireless beacon who transmitted thesignal, an identification and location tracking system in wirelesscommunication with the portable electronic device that the App isrunning on; an identification and location tracking database inelectronic communication with the identification and location trackingsystem, the identification and locating tracking system programmed toelectronically determine whether each beacon signal received by the Appis from a beacon whose unique identifier is previously stored in theidentification and location tracking database; wherein for each knownbeacon signal received by the App the identification and locationtracking system is programmed to electronically query the database toreceive location properties for each known beacon, wherein the locationproperties include information on the identity of beacons grouped as aparticular cluster of beacons for a particular area within the location;and wherein the identification and location tracking system isprogrammed to electronically determine a current area of presence forthe individual at the location based on determining which cluster ofbeacons out of a plurality of cluster of beacons for the location has ahighest average signal strength.
 11. The electronic system fordetermining a presence of a person of claim 10 wherein the uniqueidentifier for each beacon in a particular beacon cluster includes auniversally unique identifier (“UUID”), a major value identifier and aminor value identifier, wherein the unique identifier for each beacon isstored in the database.
 12. The electronic system for determining apresence of a person of claim 11 wherein the unique minor valueidentifier distinguishes one beacon in the particular beacon clusterfrom the remaining beacons in the particular beacon cluster.
 13. Theelectronic system for determining a presence of a person of claim 10wherein when a signal is received from each beacon associated with aparticular cluster of beacons the identification and location trackingsystem is programmed to (a) determine or obtain a signal strength foreach beacon signal received, (b) electronically determine an averagesignal strength from all of the signal strengths received, and (c)electronically compare the average signal strength to a preconfiguredminimum signal strength value for the particular area or particularcluster of beacons.
 14. The electronic system for determining a presenceof a person of claim 13 wherein if the determined average signalstrength is above the preconfigured minimum signal strength value theidentification and location tracking system is programmed to considerthe individual present at the particular area within the locationassociated with the particular cluster of beacons.
 15. The electronicsystem for determining a presence of a person of claim 14 wherein theidentification and location tracking system is programmed to require theaverage signal strength to be above the preconfigured minimum signalstrength value for a preconfigured period of time before considering theindividual present at the particular area within the location associatedwith the particular cluster of beacons.
 16. The electronic system fordetermining a presence of a person of claim 10 wherein theidentification and location tracking system is programmed toelectronically determine if a signal was received from each beaconassociated with the particular cluster of beacons.
 17. The electronicsystem for determining a presence of a person of claim 16 wherein if asignal was not received from each beacon associated with the particularcluster of beacons the identification and location tracking system isprogrammed to either (i) use a static value for the missing beacon(s)when calculating an average signal strength for the beacon signals ofthe beacons associated with the particular cluster of beacons, or (ii)calculate the average signal strength from the beacon signals receivedfrom the beacons associated with the particular cluster of beacons. 18.The electronic system for determining a presence of a person of claim 10further comprising the step of storing a determined location for theuser in the identification and location tracking database.